Read Online PandoraHearts ~Caucus Race~, Vol. 1 by Shinobu Wakamiya - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Shinobu Wakamiya
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bewildered Gilbert.
“…” Silent Dahlia.
Maintaining a superficial calm, Gilbert kept his mouth shut.
I-I have no idea how to deal with this!
It was beginning to make him feel dizzy.
On a weekday, at noon, in a corner of a sparsely populated park, an aristocratic couple sat facing each other in silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
A fresh breeze blew through the park, caressing the trees and setting the leaves rustling. But the two of them were—
Silent.
Silent.
……Silent.
What am I supposed to do?! Is it all right to start turning her down now?!
Gilbert asked himself.
If anyone who’d known him for a long time and knew him well were to see him now—
His face was pale, his mouth was drawn, and his internal confusion was gushing out all over the place.
If this was how it was going to be, Gilbert thought, it was better to broach the subject right away and get it over with. He opened his mouth.
“Um, listen—”
“Gilbert-sama.”
“……?! Wh-what is it?” She’d gotten the jump on him in a matter-of-fact voice, and he felt his heart jump guiltily.
“Shall we stroll for a bit?”
Dahlia looked up, smiling faintly. Bewildered, Gilbert could only nod.
True, endlessly facing each other in silence this way wasstrange. Side by side, the two of them started down a footpath that wove through the wide park.
However, once they’d started walking, Dahlia fell silent again. For his part, Gilbert was badly flustered, and the words wouldn’t come. As they walked, they kept a subtle distance between them, a space just large enough for a child.
What in the world is this?
Gilbert thought.
Not good…
He thought desperately. He thought, but:
I…have no idea how to get started!
Gilbert’s mind was a small boat tossed by raging waves.
Two people, strolling along in silence.
“I’m sorry, Gilbert-sama. —Have I inconvenienced you?”
“Huh?”
Dahlia had spoken rather abruptly, but Gilbert somehow managed to keep his voice from cracking when he responded.
“My father…decided the matter for me. I didn’t know what to do, either.”
Dahlia’s words reached Gilbert’s ears, then slowly sank into his heart.
At Gilbert’s sudden unresponsiveness, Dahlia tilted her head slightly, perplexed.
Finally, on a sigh, Gilbert said, “—I see.” As far as his actual feelings were concerned, those words had brought him relief so potent that he very nearly sank to the ground.
This sort of thing wasn’t uncommon in aristocratic society. Women in particular often found themselves in marriages that had been orchestrated without regard for their wishes.
Unlike the previous cases, Dahlia hadn’t asked for permission to see Gilbert of her own accord.
That alone made Gilbert feel as if he’d been rescued.
“That is what happened…”
At Gilbert’s murmur, Dahlia glanced at him.
“So you’d settled on your answer from the beginning.”
“Huh?”
“You seem terribly relieved.”
“Erg.”
Busted.
“You were thinking of how to turn me down without hurting me, weren’t you?”
Was it that obvious?!
Gilbert thought in disbelief.
This was awful. He’d wavered and agonized, and on top of that, instead of saying it himself, he’d made the other party pick up on his intent and say it for him.
Gilbert wasn’t at all quick on the uptake where relations between the sexes were concerned, but he did know just how unmanly and pathetic that had been. It depressed him so much he felt like falling to his hands and knees.
But before he collapsed into depression, there was one thing he had to do. Gilbert stopped in his tracks.
A moment later, Dahlia also stopped and looked at him. “Gilbert-sama?”
“…I’m sorry.”
He made a heartfelt apology. At his words, Dahlia shook her head.
“Please don’t apologize, Gilbert-sama.”
“No, I’ve been terribly rude to you.”
Conscientiously, Gilbert bowed his head low.
This gentlemanly, chivalrous attitude seemed to startle Dahlia. Her
“…” Silent Dahlia.
Maintaining a superficial calm, Gilbert kept his mouth shut.
I-I have no idea how to deal with this!
It was beginning to make him feel dizzy.
On a weekday, at noon, in a corner of a sparsely populated park, an aristocratic couple sat facing each other in silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
A fresh breeze blew through the park, caressing the trees and setting the leaves rustling. But the two of them were—
Silent.
Silent.
……Silent.
What am I supposed to do?! Is it all right to start turning her down now?!
Gilbert asked himself.
If anyone who’d known him for a long time and knew him well were to see him now—
His face was pale, his mouth was drawn, and his internal confusion was gushing out all over the place.
If this was how it was going to be, Gilbert thought, it was better to broach the subject right away and get it over with. He opened his mouth.
“Um, listen—”
“Gilbert-sama.”
“……?! Wh-what is it?” She’d gotten the jump on him in a matter-of-fact voice, and he felt his heart jump guiltily.
“Shall we stroll for a bit?”
Dahlia looked up, smiling faintly. Bewildered, Gilbert could only nod.
True, endlessly facing each other in silence this way wasstrange. Side by side, the two of them started down a footpath that wove through the wide park.
However, once they’d started walking, Dahlia fell silent again. For his part, Gilbert was badly flustered, and the words wouldn’t come. As they walked, they kept a subtle distance between them, a space just large enough for a child.
What in the world is this?
Gilbert thought.
Not good…
He thought desperately. He thought, but:
I…have no idea how to get started!
Gilbert’s mind was a small boat tossed by raging waves.
Two people, strolling along in silence.
“I’m sorry, Gilbert-sama. —Have I inconvenienced you?”
“Huh?”
Dahlia had spoken rather abruptly, but Gilbert somehow managed to keep his voice from cracking when he responded.
“My father…decided the matter for me. I didn’t know what to do, either.”
Dahlia’s words reached Gilbert’s ears, then slowly sank into his heart.
At Gilbert’s sudden unresponsiveness, Dahlia tilted her head slightly, perplexed.
Finally, on a sigh, Gilbert said, “—I see.” As far as his actual feelings were concerned, those words had brought him relief so potent that he very nearly sank to the ground.
This sort of thing wasn’t uncommon in aristocratic society. Women in particular often found themselves in marriages that had been orchestrated without regard for their wishes.
Unlike the previous cases, Dahlia hadn’t asked for permission to see Gilbert of her own accord.
That alone made Gilbert feel as if he’d been rescued.
“That is what happened…”
At Gilbert’s murmur, Dahlia glanced at him.
“So you’d settled on your answer from the beginning.”
“Huh?”
“You seem terribly relieved.”
“Erg.”
Busted.
“You were thinking of how to turn me down without hurting me, weren’t you?”
Was it that obvious?!
Gilbert thought in disbelief.
This was awful. He’d wavered and agonized, and on top of that, instead of saying it himself, he’d made the other party pick up on his intent and say it for him.
Gilbert wasn’t at all quick on the uptake where relations between the sexes were concerned, but he did know just how unmanly and pathetic that had been. It depressed him so much he felt like falling to his hands and knees.
But before he collapsed into depression, there was one thing he had to do. Gilbert stopped in his tracks.
A moment later, Dahlia also stopped and looked at him. “Gilbert-sama?”
“…I’m sorry.”
He made a heartfelt apology. At his words, Dahlia shook her head.
“Please don’t apologize, Gilbert-sama.”
“No, I’ve been terribly rude to you.”
Conscientiously, Gilbert bowed his head low.
This gentlemanly, chivalrous attitude seemed to startle Dahlia. Her
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